Coe College sophomore Jack Berkowitz of Lawrence, Kan., has been named as a 2009 Goldwater Scholarship recipient. He is one of 278 national recipients of the scholarship from a field of 1,078 undergraduate sophomore and junior applicants from across the United States. Berkowitz was one of three Iowa college students who received the award.

Coe College sophomore Jack Berkowitz of Lawrence, Kan., has been named as a 2009 Goldwater Scholarship recipient. He is one of 278 national recipients of the scholarship from a field of 1,078 undergraduate sophomore and junior applicants from across the United States. Berkowitz was one of three Iowa college students who received the award.

Berkowitz is a double major in physics and mathematics, and he is researching magnetic imaging of glass. His goal is to eventually conduct research in theoretical condensed matter/solid state physics, earn a Ph.D. in mathematical physics and teach at the university level. He is the son of David and Katherine Berkowitz of Lawrence.

In addition, Berkowitz has been accepted to attend the "Budapest Semester in Mathematics" in Budapest, Hungary, in the fall of 2009. He is the first Coe student to be selected for the prestigious mathematics study abroad opportunity.

When selecting a college, Berkowitz was impressed by the fact that Ben Franta, a current senior at Coe also majoring in mathematics and physics, received the Goldwater Scholarship as a sophomore. Ultimately, it showed Berkowitz that students "do seriously well at Coe" and inspired him to pursue his studies at the institution.

"Applying for the Goldwater was a lot of work, but well worth it in the end," said Berkowitz. "Coe has worked out wonderfully for me."

The Goldwater Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from mathematics, science and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. Virtually all of the scholars intend to obtain a Ph.D. as their eventual degree objective. Thirty scholars are mathematics majors, 190 are science and related majors, 51 are majoring in engineering, and seven are computer science majors. Many of the scholars have dual majors in a variety of mathematics, science, engineering and computer disciplines.

The two-year scholarship will cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.

Goldwater Scholars have very impressive academic qualifications that have garnered the attention of prestigious post-graduate fellowship programs. Recent Goldwater Scholars have been awarded 73 Rhodes Scholarships, 102 Marshall Awards (seven of the 40 awarded in the United States in 2009), and numerous other distinguished fellowships.

The Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed agency established by Public Law 99-661 on November 14, 1986. The Scholarship Program honoring Senator Barry M. Goldwater was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields.

In its 21-year history, the foundation has awarded 5,801 scholarships worth approximately $56 million dollars.